Maybe I'm a bit off topic, But can anyone offer training suggestions/books etc. on training a Lab? training schools around here teach sit, stay, blah blah yackety schmackety. "Hunting? HMPHHH! Find someone else!"
My Black lab is overly eager. He's a great dog and other than with guns, he's obedient. He swims like and air craft carrier retrieving tennis balls, but sometimes goes after ducks. Haven't hunted with him yet, but at the mere sound of a gunshot he runs out and attacks the target. "Stay" is out of the question. I know it takes a lot of training and patience, but I'd like to do it right.
The one thing that almost works (but is not the right thing to do) is to use my ther dog. He's a border collie/chow mix, and is the senior dog. I tell him "Get Remi" (the lab) but Kio (the Mix) doesn't like the gun, just rounding up his little brother. If I ever shot a duck, all that would come back would be unidentifiable tissue.

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Only the ignorant find ignorance to be bliss. Only those of us who know better will suffer from it.

I trained mine using a blank-shooter and a clay bird thrower I modded to throw tennis balls that had duck feathers 'duck-taped' to it. There is no finer animal, nearly killed me to put him down when arthiritis crippled him. eat you out of house and home tho. good luck.

I have the same problem we have a golden lab with amazing insticnt but he was never trained.

He loves the water, swims well, knows that birds are his thing and holds them really gently in his mouth so as not to damage them but he would much rather eat the birds that i shoot that bring them to me. Its great fun with all the blackbirds around the yard to shoot them and watch flash go get em and bury them out in the trees though.

There are some books (remember those?) and videos by a guy named Wolters called "Training the Upland Dog", "Training the Flushing Dog", etc. They are priceless for training a hunting dog. You can find them on Amazon, Cabela's, BassPro, etc.

I learned when training my Lab that the first thing you need to do is "train yourself". Your lab will only be as good as you teach him. There are numerous books and videos but I highly rec. that you hire a pro. It is not that expensive. Mine was $100 down and $28 for each group session. These group sessions will teach you and your dog the basics and also teach you both how to behave in the company of other dogs and people. After that the Field training will be soooo much easier. My Yellow Lab is the smartest dog that I have ever meet. I am real proud of him. He will even open a cooler and get you a beer when asked. My fourth child and only son

I was very impressed with how much an E-collar helped when training my setter. When the dog wont listen and you cant get your hands on them to discipline them the electronic collar really pays for itself. A lot of collars come with training videos. Cabelas has a pretty good selection. The collar I use retails for only 160 bucks. Before you get one try and borrow a friends, and see if your dog works well with it.

Check out Cabelas, years ago when I was training mine they had an excellent book, Gun dog something, can't remember the exact name. Dogs are never to old to learn, and use hand gestures along with your verbal commands, and avoid one one syllable commands.

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Give an idiot power, and you just end up with a powerful idiot.

Scince we live aboard our boat in summer, I had an idea. I've been taking him out in the tender far enough from shore that swimming to land isn't an option. He goes in after his ball & has no choice but to swim back to the inflatable. He has to give up his "prey" to me in order to get back in.
Now I can do it from shore and he comes back to the tender & gives it up. Of course, can't do this with a gun, but he's coming along.

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Only the ignorant find ignorance to be bliss. Only those of us who know better will suffer from it.

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